A true representation of His Majesties declaration for preventation of those prejudices which are rais'd against reading of it, by misguided men.

A True Representation OF His Majesty's Declaration, For Prevention of those Prejudices which are rais'd against Reading of it, by Misguided Men.

IT's the Common Cry, That there is a desperate Design on foot, viz. The bringing in of Popery, The Ruining the Protestant Interest, An Arbitrary Exaltation of Prerogative, A vacating all Ecclesiastical and Civil Laws at pleasure, With an Unjust Invasion on the Liberty and Property of the Subject, so that our Religion and Laws are all at Stake, and whosoever is for taking away the Poenal Laws and Tests, and for tur∣ning the KING'S Declaration into a Law, Must be a Roman Catholick, a Priest, a Je∣suite, &c.

This, in short, is the Representation some men have made of His Majesty. But let us con∣sult the Declaration for Liberty, and see whether any such thing can be found in it.

A Summary of the KING's Declaration.

THE General Design of the KING is, To Establish the Government of this Nation on such a Foundation, as may make the People Happy, and Ʋnite 'em to His Majesty by Inclination as well as Duty. To this end, the KING Grants to All the Free Exercise of their Religion, and the perfect Enjoyment of Property, as the Two Things men value most: Both which shall be continued unto us, during His Majesties Reign over us, as the truest Methods to our Peace and the King's Glory.

The Great Thing then that His Majesty intends, is, The Securing to Us the Liberty of our Consciences, Together with our Civil Liberty and Property.

The Reasons why the KING is so very much for Liberty of Conscience, are many.

In general, The constraining Conscience, or forcing People in Matters of meer Religion, has been Contrary to His Majesties constant Sense and Opinion; Contrary to His Royal Inclinations; And con∣trary to the Interest of Government: For, by it our Trade has been spoiled, our Country depopulated, and the coming in of Strangers (whereby our Land might have been inriched) discouraged: Lastly, All Attempts of this kind have been hitherto Ʋnsuccessful.

But more particularly, His Majesty doth declare,

I. That He will Protect and Maintain the Archbishops, Bishops, and Clergy, and all other His Subjects of the Church of England, in the Free Exercise of their religion, as by Law established, and in the full Enjoyment of their Possessions.

Nothing but a Power to hurt and destroy Dissenters is taken from the Church of England. She may live at ease, no one shall Trouble or Disturb Her; only she must be content, that others enjoy the like Peace, though not the same Possessions, with Her self. And nothing throughout this Declaration methinks, is capable to displease the Church-men, unless His Majesties extending Grace unto Dissenters does so; which God forbid! for That the King is resolv'd upon, as appears from what follows. For,

II. It is the Royal Will and Pleasure, That the execution of all Poenal Laws in Matters Eccle∣siastical, for Not coming to Church, or Not receiving the Sacrament, or for any other Nonconformi∣ty to the Religion established; or for, or by reason of the Exercise of Religion in any manner what∣soever, be immediately Suspended.

The King hereby hath, and continues to put a stop to that violent Persecution, which for some years, to the destruction of many mens Lives and Families, did rage amongst us. And,

III. That no One good Subject, of what Religious Perswasion soever, be expos'd to the least Suffering of his Conscience, nor be branded as Seditious and unfit to serve the King, meerly be∣cause he is of a Religion different from the Established. And that His Majesty may have the be∣nefit of the service of All His Subjects, (which by the Law of Nature is inseparably annexed to, and inherent in His Royal Person) He has exercis'd His Dispensing Power accordingly. And,

IV. That so great a Blessing may descend on Posterity, the King declares, That He has resolv'd to use His uttermost endeavours to establish Liberty of Conscience on such Just and Equal Foundations, as will render it Vnalterable; and Secure to all People, the Free Exercise of their Religion For Ever.

This is the Import of His Majesties Declaration, whereby it's past doubt, that the King's Design is an advancing His True Glory in the Enlargement of His Peoples Happiness: The gi∣ving new Legal Assurances to the Church of England of their enjoying the Liberty of their Consciences, and All their Possessions; The taking nothing from them but a Power to Hurt and Ruine others; And the establishing the Peace of ALL on a sure Foundation, that this Na∣tion may never more be Harrass'd with violent and wracking Persecutions.

And that there may be no room left for the least Fear or Jealousie, His Majesty has on other occasions oft Declared, That the more Firm, Sure, and Lasting Our Security can be made, the more 'twill please Him. Let the Security be put into the same Instrument that takes off Persecuting Laws and Tests, and we shall be Sure to keep the present Security which we have, unless as Good, or Better, be substituted in its Place. And what is further considera∣ble, such are the Circumstances of the Roman Catholicks in the present conjuncture, that it's impossible for them to have a lasting Protection from a Church of England Persecution, but by gaining such a Law as will settle the Peace of the Protestant Dissenter; for which Reason we need not so much enquire after the Sincerity, as after the Sense and Self-Love of the Papist▪ If they have but so much Sense as to understand their own true Interest, and so much Love to themselves as to mind it; The Security that they must Desire for them∣selves, will be sufficient to guard us against all our Fears. 'Tis undoubtedly their Interest, (which, as men say, does never Lie) to endeavour that Matters may be by a Law settled on such Foundations as will render Liberty of Conscience as Vnalterable as the Wit and Power of a Parliament can make it.

This then being the candid Intention of this Declaration, let us compare such Contents with the Reports that have been industriously spread throughout the whole Kingdom, and we cannot but be fully convinced, That His Majesty has been most unhappily Misrepresented. For tho' he intends Nothing but the establishing His Peoples Welfare, yet the common Vogue is, That He is resolv'd on the Ruine of Us and our Religion. And its manifest, that the propa∣gating such Stories has a tendency to divert a Parliament, when it shall be Call'd from pur∣suing that Peace and Prosperity of their Country, which the King intends by it. And what therefore could be more necessary, in order to the preventing this Mischief, than an Endea∣vour to Undeceive the People, by giving Them a Just and Impartial Account of what His Majesty doth Really intend; which could not be more effectually done, than by command∣ing all the Clergy to Read His own Declaration, in which we see the King's Mind, His Inten∣tions and Resolutions, fully Discovered.

And if This was really the True Reason of His causing it to be Read, which I have Ground to be morally certain it was, How should the Reflection grieve those, who are serious and good men, that have made so much Stir and Trouble about it? As appears more parti∣cularly in a late (a) 1.1 Author, whom I forbear to Answer (being I suppose such a one) to avoid Exasperation.

It is not against their (b) 1.2 Principles to Read, for their Doctrine has been alwaies for the most Comprehensive Obedience.

It is not against their Conscience, because not against their Principles; and the bare Rea∣ding is no Declaring their (c) 1.3 Consent, as that Gentleman would have it.

It is not against their former Practice, for it has been their very Character, as Sons of the Church, to Comport with the Royal Pleasure.

It is not against their present Constitution, for by it the KING is Supreme-Ordinary, and to Him, as well as unto the Ordinary of the Place, Obedience must be rendred.

I am sorry therefore they think it against their (d) 1.4 Interest, which seems to me indeed the only Reason of their Refusal, wherein being confident they mistake themselves, I shall, in or∣der to their own Good, advise them to Consult Better.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  A Letter preten∣dedly writ by a City Con∣formist, to one in the Coun∣try, a∣gainst Reading the De∣claration.
• (b) 1.2

  Dr. Hickes saith, That whate∣ver the Imperial Laws of any Government require of its Subjects, if it be not contrary to God's Law, they are bound to perform it. Jovian p. 206 By Imperial Laws, they mean the Edicts of the Prince, in contradiction to the Political Laws. For which reason the King's Commission they say, is more to be regarded than the Law of the Land.
• (c) 1.3

  Bishop Taylor affirms, That the Unlawful Proclamations and Edicts of a True Prince, may be published by the Clergy in their several Char∣ges. — Taylor's Duct. Dub. l. 3. c. 3. pag. 556. See also c. 4. pag. 606. The King's Declaration is not against God's Law; it's only the Di∣spensing Power which the Bishops and Clergy have been preaching up above twenty years together, that they Now say is Illegal; in which case they are not competent Judges. But on the contrary, heretofore, have been in danger of forfeiting their Baronies, if at any time they entred into a Consult about the Prerogative. Mandatum est omnibus Episcopis, firmiter inhibendo▪ quod sicut Baronias suas (quas de Rege tenent) diligunt, nullomodo praesumant Consilium tenere de aliquibus quae ad coronam Regis pertinent—Scituri pro certo, quod si fecerint, Rex inde se capiet ad Baronias suas. Rot. Parl. 18 H. 3. 2 part. m. 17. De prohibitione fact. Episcopis. See Coke Inst. lib. 4. c. 74.
• (d) 1.4

  Understand here, That the Dispensing Power hath been Misrepresented, to the prejudice of the King as well as His Decla∣ration; which may therefore in some due time be Rectified. In the mean while let the Reader see a Book entituled, The Justices Case, in the middle whereof he will find a Compendious State of that great point, that does His Majesty and the Country both Right; It is a little Book, bound, at 6 d. and Sold by Randal Taylor.